In two weeks, Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King will host what amounts to the clown car of 2016 campaign events. Featuring Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum—the
Iowa Freedom Summit is the perfect place to dash the candidacies of GOP presidential hopefuls.
Iowa Republicans notoriously favor candidates that have no chance in the general election, like Rick Santorum at the 2012 Iowa caucus or Mike Huckabee at the very same in 2008.
As Dan Balz notes:
The gathering will highlight the quadrennial challenge confronting all those who seek their party’s presidential nomination: How far can candidates go in catering to the most conservative or liberal wing of their parties without compromising their chances of winning a general election?
Close, but not exactly. Liberal positions are actually winning at the ballot box (e.g. minimum wage, legalizing pot) while conservative positions are not (e.g. anti-abortion personhood measures). So leaning left actually stands to help a Democrat in 2016, whereas leaning right can kill a Republican with national ambitions.
Enter King and his big summit. Moderate Republicans smell danger, reports Matt Viser.
“The presidential candidates ought to be careful to the extent they genuflect at that altar,” said Doug Gross, a Des Moines lawyer, Republican consultant, and former gubernatorial nominee.
“It’s not a ticket to win the general, clearly. It’s not a ticket to win the nomination. And ultimately, it’s not a ticket, in my opinion, to win Iowa. I don’t know why they would do that, particularly a guy like [Gov. Chris] Christie."
So yeah, why is Christie going? Jeb Bush showed the good judgment to bow out.
Christie supporters say that he could benefit by appealing to some of the conservative elements in the party, broadening his appeal beyond his more moderate base.
Sounds like a sign of desperation more than anything. Jeb +1, Christie -1.
Mark your calendars for Jan. 24. There'll be a camera around every corner.